NEED TO KNOW
Keith Urban permanently marked his love for Nicole Kidman with multiple tattoos before their relationship took a “dramatic” turn.
Urban, 57, has at least four tattoos done in tribute to the Oscar winner, whom he was married to for 19 years before she filed for divorce on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
“Their split is turning dramatic. Nicole’s hurt and feels betrayed,” a source tells PEOPLE. “She wanted to save their marriage and believed that she could, but it seems he’s already moved on.” The filing cited irreconcilable differences as reason for the split.
What will happen to the country singer’s dedicated ink amid his separation from the Practical Magic 2 star, 58? For now, here’s a look at the ink that the “You’ll Think of Me” singer had done in honor of the actress.
Urban’s ‘Babygirl’ Neck Tattoo
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Just shy of a year before Urban and Kidman’s split was made public, she talked about the cheeky “babygirl” ink on the back of her husband’s neck, which the Grammy winner got before Kidman even starred in the erotica drama of the same name.
“Keith’s not allowed to call anyone else babygirl. But now, because of the film, it’s taken on a different meaning. So he’s like, ‘No, I still have total rights over babygirl!’ ” she said in W Magazine’s For the Art issue in November 2024. The ink has remained hidden under Urban’s hair over the years, but a glimpse of it can be seen in this 2023 video shared to Instagram.
In June 2021, Urban publicly referenced Kidman by the nickname in an anniversary tribute shared to Instagram. “Happy anniversary babygirl !!!!!!! my life started when you said ‘I do’ 5475 days ago today,” he captioned a photo of the two embracing.
Babygirl was released on Dec. 25, 2024, and tells the story of a powerful CEO, Romy (Kidman), who puts her marriage and career on the line when she begins an illicit affair with a new intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson).
The ‘Nicole’ on His Bicep
Mat Szwajkos/Getty; Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty
Urban has a large “Nicole” tattoo on his bicep, which appeared to have been done in 2007. That June, the “Somebody Like You” singer gave fans a glimpse at the work of art during his Live Earth New York performance. Since then, he’s updated the piece to feature intricate embellishments. It was previously seen during his stint on American Idol, which lasted four seasons up until 2017.
Kidman’s ‘Middle’ Name Featured on His Knuckles
Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Gett
In addition to getting Kidman’s first name inked on his body, he also reserved a spot for her middle name as well. According to Us Weekly, the first spotting of this tattoo was in April 2021 at the ACM Awards. The four-letter name is written in bold upper-case letters and covers the majority of his knuckles.
In a 2021 interview with QX104 Country he addressed the special tribute. “I realized that I suddenly can’t wear any rings on that hand because otherwise her name becomes…various [words].”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Urban’s Tattoo of Kidman’s Initials
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Urban went back to the basics with this Kidman-inspired tattoo, which is a simple one of her initials, “NMK.” According to Taste of Country, Urban had the three letters needled onto the inside of his wrist, which is part of a bigger work of ink that covers a past tattoo Urban got with ex-girlfriend Niki Taylor, whom he dated for four years before marrying Kidman.
While they were together, Urban and Taylor took the plunge with getting matching tats reading amor vincit omnia, a Latin phrase translated to “love conquers all.” Taylor also covered her ink up before undergoing an overhaul with a removal journey.
